Ever wonder about the bumpy leaves?

I have had several calls and visits from people around the county with several different problems. One of these problems was the nasty bumpy leaves you may be seeing on a whole bunch of different host plants. These are called leave galls, and are caused by several different insects ranging from aphids to sawflies. The good news about galls are that for the most part these are not very harmful to the plant, of course a severe infestation could pose a problem. There are chemical control measures for controlling galls and for information on specific treatments for host plants please contact your local Extension agent or check the NC Ag Chemical Manual for suggestions. The image is of a maple gall, caused by a mite. This image came from a webpage you may find useful, buggide.net. It is a good resource for finding out more on insects. You can also visit the NCSU Entomology Insect Note page. It is a great resource as well, with links to other helpful sites such as the Entomology department web page, the Plant Disease and Insect Clinic, and others. I do hope this is helpful and answers some questions about those nasty bumps.
As always, Happy gardens.